Americans United - Churches and Politicshttps://au.org/tags/churches-and-politics
enBad Actor: Presumptuous Prelate Hopes His Partisan Ploy Plays In Peoria – And Elsewherehttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bad-actor-presumptuous-prelate-hopes-his-partisan-ploy-plays-in-peoria-and
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">It&#039;s time to turn up the heat on the IRS over the issue of church politicking. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>For the past few days, my inbox has been overflowing with emails about Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky.</p><p>The Roman Catholic prelate last week <a href="http://chicagoist.com/2012/11/02/peoria_bishop_blurs_separation_of_c.php">wrote a letter</a> that he ordered all priests in his Peoria, Ill., diocese to read during services over the weekend. The missive purports to offer guidance about tomorrow’s election.</p><p>Jenky’s message was just a tad hyperbolic. It began, “Since the foundation of the American Republic and the adoption of the Bill of Rights, I do not think there has ever been a time more threatening to our religious liberty than the present.”</p><p>Jenky went on to assert, “Neither the president of the United States nor the current majority of the Federal Senate have been willing to even consider the Catholic community’s grave objections to those HHS mandates that would require all Catholic institutions, exempting only our church buildings, to fund abortion, sterilization, and artificial contraception. This assault upon our religious freedom is simply without precedent in the American political and legal system.”</p><p>It continued: “Nearly two thousand years ago, after our Savior had been bound, beaten, scourged, mocked, and crowned with thorns, a pagan Roman Procurator displayed Jesus to a hostile crowd by sarcastically declaring: ‘Behold your King.’ The mob roared back: ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ Today, the Catholic politicians, bureaucrats, and their electoral supporters who callously enable the destruction of innocent human life in the womb also thereby reject Jesus as their Lord. They are objectively guilty of grave sin. For those who hope for salvation, no political loyalty can ever take precedence over loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ and to his Gospel of Life. God is not mocked, and as the Bible clearly teaches, after this passing instant of life on earth, God’s great mercy in time will give way to God's perfect judgment in eternity.”</p><p>Jenky concludes by calling on “every practicing Catholic in this Diocese to vote. Be faithful to Christ and to your Catholic Faith.” (You can read the entire letter <a href="http://bishopdanielrjenky.blogspot.com/">here</a>.)</p><p>Note that Jenky never mentions any politicians by name. But you’d have to be beyond dense not to get his message: voting for President Barack Obama and the Democrats is a sin and doing so will put your very soul in jeopardy.</p><p>What’s especially frustrating about this is that Jenky is a repeat offender. <a href="http://au.org/media/press-releases/irs-should-investigate-catholic-diocese-for-illegal-election-intervention-says">AU reported him</a> to the Internal Revenue Service in April after he gave a sermon comparing Obama to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.</p><p>As I said, many people have reported this new Jenky incident to Americans United. Several of the people who sent it to us took pains to point out that they are Catholic and are weary of this type of hardball politicking in their sanctuaries. They want the focus to be on prayer, not politics.</p><p>AU can report Jenky to the IRS again, but we could use some help. We need to turn up the heat on the federal tax agency. The IRS website contains <a href="http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf">a form</a> that anyone can use to report tax-exempt entities that violate the law by wading into partisan politics. I encourage you to use it.</p><p>If you’re Catholic (and especially if you live in <a href="http://www.cdop.org/pages/">Jenky’s diocese</a>), you have a special role to play. Write to him and let the bishop know that you are capable of making up your own mind about which candidates to support and don’t need his advice. Remind him that the “<a href="http://www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/political-activity-guidelines.cfm">Political Activity Guidelines</a>” published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops warn against partisan political intervention and pulpit politicking.</p><p>The good news is that heavy-handed efforts like this (and Jenky is <a href="http://www.gbdioc.org/images/stories/Front_Page/An-Important-Moment-Article-from-Bishop-Ricken-10-24-2012.pdf">not the only bishop</a> engaging in this kind of conduct) could backfire. A <a href="http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/CFC-ACLUpoll.asp">recent poll </a>found that 86 percent of Catholics say voters don’t have an obligation to follow a Catholic bishop’s recommendation on how to vote.</p><p>Still, it is important that Catholics – and indeed all Americans who oppose pulpit politicking – speak up. We need to directly confront those misguided clerics who won’t play by the rules. At the same time, we must let the IRS know that we’ve had enough of this and we want to see the laws of the land enforced.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bishop-daniel-jenky">Bishop Daniel Jenky</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/peoria">Peoria</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/internal-revenue-service-irs">Internal Revenue Service (IRS)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/roman-catholic-church">Roman Catholic Church</a></span></div></div>Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:52:56 +0000Rob Boston7703 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bad-actor-presumptuous-prelate-hopes-his-partisan-ploy-plays-in-peoria-and#commentsCardinal Mistake: Bishops’ Conference President Hectors Church Members To Go Politicalhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/cardinal-mistake-bishops%E2%80%99-conference-president-hectors-church-members-to-go
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Catholic bishops are attempting to impose a policy on all Americans that they haven’t even been able to persuade their own members to adopt. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>It’s still hard for me to believe that in light of the sluggish economic recovery, ongoing worries over jobs and mounting home foreclosures that most Americans are interested in a protracted discussion over access to contraceptives.</p><p>Yet here we are. The issue simply will not go away, chiefly because some misguided clergy won’t let it die.</p><p>Over the weekend, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York City fired yet another salvo. Speaking at a church meeting focused on public policy on Saturday, Dolan said, “We are called to be very active, very informed and very involved in politics.”</p><p><em>The New York Times</em> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/nyregion/cardinal-timothy-m-dolan-urges-catholics-to-become-more-politically-active.html?_r=1">reported that Dolan</a> blasted American culture because it “seems to discover new rights every day.” He even denied there is any right to marriage and added, “Now we hear there’s a right to sterilization, abortion and chemical contraceptives. I suppose there might be a doctor who would say to a man who’s suffering some type of sexual dysfunction, ‘You ought to visit a prostitute to help you.’”</p><p>Over-the-top rhetoric like this isn’t helping the cardinal’s case. And since he doesn’t get what type of “rights” we're talking about, let me explain it one more time: It’s the right to live our lives as we see fit, without personal decisions like health care, sexuality and family size being subjected to control by heavy-handed clerics wielding repressive theology like a club.</p><p>It’s true the Constitution says nothing about artificial birth control. This is not surprising, since it didn’t exist when that document was written. That’s not the point. The point is that the Constitution does grant us the right to live our lives and make our own decisions free from government-imposed theology.</p><p>Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, went on to urge Catholic laypeople to speak out politically. He said church members make more effective advocates and added, “In the public square, I hate to tell you, the days of fat, balding Irish bishops are over.”</p><p>But this is obvious bluster. I suppose it makes for a good P.R. line, but Dolan knows it’s not true. Indeed, the bishops just formed a new lobbying unit in Washington to focus mainly on social issues, and it’s clear that plenty of bishops – fat, bald, Irish and otherwise – will be trolling the halls of Congress and state legislatures trying to get their way.</p><p>Dolan and his band of bishops know better than to leave this issue to a church laity that doesn’t even agree with them. Statistics shows that 98 percent of Catholic women will use an artificial form of birth control at some point in their lives, and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/us/politics/americans-divided-on-birth-control-coverage-poll-finds.html">a recent poll showed</a> that 63 percent of Americans – including a majority of Catholics and evangelicals -- agree that insurers should offer birth control to those employees who want it.</p><p>One of the great ironies about this entire debate has been that the bishops are attempting to impose a policy on all Americans <em>that they haven’t even been able to persuade their own members to adopt. </em>They have gone so far as to back a bill that would allow <em>any</em> private employer in this country to refuse to pay for <em>any</em> religious practice that offends his or her personal beliefs. If adopted, this policy would subject the health care of millions of workers to whatever theology the boss in the corner office or some nameless CEO happened to adopt.</p><p>That’s the church hierarchy’s definition of “religious freedom” – their freedom to use government policies to impose their dogma on you.</p><p>One more thought about this: Every time the issue of churches jumping into politics comes up, we at Americans United are forced to remind pastors about the federal tax law that bars houses of worship (and other tax-exempt entities) from endorsing or opposing candidates for public office. Discussion of issues is permitted, but telling congregants that they can or cannot vote for specific candidates is not.</p><p>The legal arm of the Catholic Church, to its credit, has been pretty careful on this issue over the years and has issued documents reminding local priests and dioceses that they can’t tell people whom to vote for or against.</p><p>Most Catholic clergy respect the law. For those who don’t we have a message: Americans United is watching. </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/reproductive-health-conscience-clauses-for-religious-objectors">Reproductive Health &amp; Conscience Clauses for Religious Objectors</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cardinal-timothy-dolan">Cardinal Timothy Dolan</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/birth-control">birth control</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div>Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:52:21 +0000Rob Boston6852 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/cardinal-mistake-bishops%E2%80%99-conference-president-hectors-church-members-to-go#commentsPulpit Perversion Sunday: The Religious Right’s Partisan Scheme To Politicize Churcheshttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/pulpit-perversion-sunday-the-religious-right%E2%80%99s-partisan-scheme-to
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">We don’t want our churches and other nonprofits perverted into cogs in some scheming politician’s political machine.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>On Oct. 2, a few fundamentalist clergy around the country will observe “Pulpit Freedom Sunday.” They will take to their pulpits and endorse or oppose candidates in defiance of federal tax law, which prohibits nonprofits from intervention in elections.</p>
<p>This isn’t some occasion on the liturgical calendar or a spontaneous eruption of civic zeal. It’s part of a plot by the Alliance Defense Fund, a right-wing legal group founded by theocracy-minded TV and radio preachers. The ADF-sponsored observance has one goal: to pave the way for Religious Right leaders to forge fundamentalist churches into a disciplined voting bloc.</p>
<p>To hear ADF lawyers talk, you’d think American clergy are currently bound and gagged by an overweening Big Brother government. In <a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/erikstanley/2011/09/24/for_free_speech,_give_up_your_tax_exempt_status">an essay last Saturday</a>, ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley said preachers are subject to “cruel and unusual punishment.”</p>
<p>“[I]t remains a fact,” said Stanley, “that every Sunday, when pastors in America ascend the pulpit, they face the cruel and unusual prospect of exchanging their natural, God-given right to free speech for a government-ordained lexicon (if they want to keep their tax-exempt status).”</p>
<p>What nonsense!</p>
<p>American clergy are perfectly free to address any religious, moral and political issues they wish. The only limitation is that they cannot use their tax-exempt resources to endorse or oppose political candidates.</p>
<p>That’s not some sort of onerous government intrusion; it’s just fair governmental application of the same rules that apply to all religious, educational and charitable organizations in the 501(c)(3) category.</p>
<p>If you want to be tax-exempt and you want donations to your church or other nonprofit to be tax deductible, you have be devoted to religious, educational and charitable endeavors and not be some sort of political action committee.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2008/10/religious-leader.html">vast majority of </a>American clergy and the<a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/do-americans-disagree-when-church-leaders-mix-religion-politics-54413/"> vast majority of t</a>he American people see this distinction as reasonable and prudent. We don’t want our churches and other nonprofits perverted into cogs in some scheming politician’s political machine.</p>
<p>It would be particularly destructive to politicize our houses of worship. Congregations would be bitterly divided, communities would be beset with religious tensions as congregations vied with each other for political power and the rights of minorities would be placed in grave jeopardy.</p>
<p>The ADF’s allies in Congress tried for years to pass legislation allowing churches to endorse candidates while keeping their tax exemption, but the campaign failed.</p>
<p>Now, the ADF is trying to spark a lawsuit and test the federal tax law in court. Well, here’s some news, ADF, the law has already been tested in court and upheld!</p>
<p>In May of 2000, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6427991498352144033&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=2&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr">ruled that the IRS </a>had acted within the scope of its authority when it revoked the exemption of a New York church that opposed presidential candidate Bill Clinton. (AU had reported the scofflaw congregation to the IRS and later filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the <em>Branch Ministries v. Rossotti </em>case, supporting the IRS’s revocation.)</p>
<p>Writing for the unanimous court, Senior Circuit Judge James Buckley found that “the revocation of the Church’s tax-exempt status neither violated the Constitution nor exceeded the IRS’s statutory authority.”</p>
<p>Elsewhere, Judge Buckley soundly rejected the argument that the IRS has no legal authority to deal with the tax exemption of churches, writing, “We find this argument more creative than persuasive.”</p>
<p>Maybe you’ve heard of Buckley. He’s a conservative Republican appointee and the brother of famous conservative pundit William F. Buckley. Like Judge Buckley, the other members of the panel were Reagan appointees too. (I don’t want to hear any talk about liberal activist judges!)</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-pulpit-20110929,0,2505209.story?track=rss">a recent editorial,</a> the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> said the federal tax rules are wise and urged the IRS to enforce the law if clergy go over the line during “Pulpit Freedom Sunday.”</p>
<p>“The restriction, which dates back to the 1950s, is based on a sound principle: that organizations characterizing themselves as charitable and receiving a government benefit should refrain from election activity,” the <em>Times</em> observed.</p>
<p>“For some religious conservatives, this policy isn't just unwise; it's unconstitutional,” the newspaper continued. “But tax exemption isn't a constitutional right. It's the creation of Congress, which has the right to attach conditions to that benefit. Put another way, churches may have a 1st Amendment right to comment on elections, but they don't have the right to a tax exemption.”</p>
<p>Concluded the <em>Times</em>, “With the 2012 election season already in progress, the IRS needs to remind the participants in ‘Pulpit Freedom Sunday’ that the law will be enforced — in a measured and consistent way.”</p>
<p>All I can say to that is “Amen!”</p>
<p>PS: If churches in your community violate the no-electioneering rule on Sunday, <a href="http://projectfairplay.org/act/violation/">let us know.</a> We’ll report the action to the IRS. Learn more at<a href="http://projectfairplay.org/"> Project Fair Play</a>.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/alliance-defense-fund">Alliance Defense Fund</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/project-fair-play">Project Fair Play</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/pulpit-freedom-sunday">Pulpit Freedom Sunday</a></span></div></div>Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:12:40 +0000Joseph L. Conn6066 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/pulpit-perversion-sunday-the-religious-right%E2%80%99s-partisan-scheme-to#commentsFelony Fact-Finding: El Paso District Attorney Investigates Political Ministryhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/felony-fact-finding-el-paso-district-attorney-investigates-political
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Looks like El Paso’s political pastor Tom Brown may be in a lot more trouble than he thought.</p>
<p>Americans United <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2011/07/au-urges-irs-to-investigate.html">filed a complaint</a> about his ministry with the IRS for involvement in electioneering, and now he’s coming under scrutiny from the El Paso’s district attorney’s office. An <a href="http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_18673069?source=most_viewed">investigation has been launched</a> into Brown’s use of church resources to try to recall Mayor John Cook and two city council members.</p>
<p>Brown wants Mayor Cook and Council Members Steve Ortega and Susie Byrd out because they voted to extend benefits to domestic partners. The law requires 6,100 signatures for the city to hold a recall election.</p>
<p>In July, Brown announced to his congregation at Word of Life Church that he planned to kick off the recall campaign and has been using his Tom Brown Ministries website to coordinate the campaign since.</p>
<p>The <em>El Paso Times </em>reports that the website has also been circulating a petition and collecting signatures from other churches.</p>
<p>In July, AU wrote to the IRS and called for an investigation into Brown’s ministry for seeming to violate federal tax law, which prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship and other religious groups, from participating in elections.</p>
<p>It turns out the ministry’s political activities may also violate Texas state law. (Once AU learned this, we followed up with a letter to the state attorney general, as well.)</p>
<p>The Texas Election Code states that corporations (including nonprofits like Tom Brown Ministries) are prohibited from making “a political contribution or political expenditure in connection with a recall election, including the circulation and submission of a petition to call an election.” Violations of this law are punishable as a third-degree felony.</p>
<p>That is serious and certainly something that pastors should look into before turning their churches into campaign central. Religious leaders should be aware that both federal and state laws may apply to electioneering intervention.</p>
<p>It’s pretty clear Brown didn’t realize what he got himself into. After AU filed the initial IRS complaint, Brown tried to dismiss our action, calling Americans United “anti-religious” and “very liberal.”</p>
<p>"They are known for attacking people of conservative values as well as those who are Bible believers -- so they're just trying to intimidate us to try to get our voice silenced,” he <a href="http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=1399126">told</a> One News Now. “But their intimidation is not going to work."</p>
<p>Perhaps the possibility of being slapped with a felony will get Brown’s attention.</p>
<p>Check out the work Americans United does to stop religious organizations from being transformed into political machines on our Project Fair Play website, <a href="http://projectfairplay.org/">http://projectfairplay.org/</a>. You’ll see that we have filed complaints involving church endorsements of Republican, Democratic and independent candidates. You’ll also see that this has nothing to do with being “anti-religious” but everything to do with preserving the integrity of religion and the democratic process.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/el-paso">El Paso</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/irs">IRS</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/texas">Texas</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tom-brown-ministries">Tom Brown Ministries</a></span></div></div>Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:44:45 +0000Sandhya Bathija2553 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/felony-fact-finding-el-paso-district-attorney-investigates-political#commentsPartisan Politics In The Pulpit: The LDS Church Says Nohttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/partisan-politics-in-the-pulpit-the-lds-church-says-no
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>It’s not often AU can say this -- but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is on to something.</p>
<p>The LDS church has made a point to remind its senior leaders to remain politically neutral in the upcoming elections.</p>
<p>“The Church’s mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, not to elect politicians,” church president Thomas S. Monson and his senior counselors said in a letter sent to top church leaders recently. The letter was also posted as a statement on the church’s <a href="http://newsroom.lds.org/official-statement/political-neutrality">website</a>.</p>
<p>It’s good to see the church educate on this important matter. Americans United has also been doing so for years now, with our Project Fair Play program. We even have a <a href="http://www.projectfairplay.org">website</a> where religious leaders, members of congregation and others can access information about what is and isn’t acceptable under the Internal Revenue Service’s rules, which bar houses of worship and other non-profits from opposing or endorsing candidates for office.</p>
<p>Americans United has continually warned against turning houses of worship into political machines. Some have questioned LDS church’s activity in this area. The church has become well known over the years for its <a href="http://blog.au.org/2009/01/27/mormon-might-lds-church-leaders-have-inappropriate-government-role-in-utah/">political power plays</a>, particularly on the issue of gay rights.</p>
<p>In 2008, LDS intervention is heavily credited for California’s passage of Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that removed the right of same-sex couples to obtain civil marriages. Church members, at the hierarchy’s behest, reportedly donated a majority of funds raised by the Yes on 8 campaign – nearly $20 million – and church members volunteered thousands of hours to support the constitutional amendment.</p>
<p>It goes to show the power of the LDS church, which only makes up 2 percent of the population in California. In Utah, more than 80 percent of the legislators are Mormon, and for nearly two decades, legislative leaders have met annually with church officials to discuss the coming year’s agenda.</p>
<p>This troubles some people, and well it should. Yet the IRS does draw a distinction between issue advocacy by houses of worship, which is permitted, and intervention in political races between individuals, which is banned. Assuming LDS leaders follow the advice in the church statement, the Mormon Church won’t be meddling in the 2012 presidential election. It’s probably the best strategy for the church, since two GOP presidential candidates belong to the LDS church – Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman.</p>
<p>And perhaps, Mormon Church officials have learned a lesson of how politics can divide congregations.</p>
<p>“The church might be responding to criticism it has faced about its very active, very critical role in California's referendum initiative about gay marriage,” Mark Button, a political scientist at the University of Utah who has written on religion in politics, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/30/mormon-politics_n_887868.html">told</a> the <em>Salt Lake Tribune</em>. “That was a visible role that the church was playing, and it was clearly one that divided people in the church.”</p>
<p>We hope all religious groups will take the same efforts to educate their clergy and top officials about church politicking. With the presidential primaries coming up, it is important our houses of worship stay clear of partisan political campaigning that is designed to elect or defeat candidates. It’s not just the right thing to do – it’s the law.</p>
<p>P.S. If you feel your temple, synagogue or church is violating IRS rules, please contact Americans United through our Project Fair Play <a href="http://www.projectfairplay.org">website</a>. <a href="http://www.projectfairplay.org/"></a></p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-ballot-initiatives">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Ballot Initiatives</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/2010-presidential-election">2010 Presidential Election</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/church-jesus-christ-latter-day-saints">Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jon-huntsman">Jon Huntsman</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mitt-romney">Mitt Romney</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mormon">Mormon</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-groups-involvement-politics">religious groups&#039; involvement in politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/utah">Utah</a></span></div></div>Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:26:31 +0000Sandhya Bathija2541 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/partisan-politics-in-the-pulpit-the-lds-church-says-no#commentsPolluting The Pulpit?: Virginia Attorney General Urges (Right-Wing) Churches To Be Political https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/polluting-the-pulpit-virginia-attorney-general-urges-right-wing-churches-to
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Since when is it an attorney general’s job to urge churches to dive into politics?</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has been a thorn in Americans United’s side for the past few years. A staunch ally of the Religious Right, Cuccinelli seems to have no problem using government to promote right-wing theology.</p>
<p>His 2010 memo on government-sponsored holiday displays was less than helpful. Americans United had to issue <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2010/08/va-attorney-generals.html">a statement </a>warning that towns that took his advice without additional legal counsel might get sued.</p>
<p>Yesterday, <a href="http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-cuccinelli-attorney-general-pastors-politics-church-state,0,4874127.story">Cuccinelli appeared</a> at a Virginia Christian Alliance (VCA) breakfast in Fredericksburg to brief pastors on the law relating to political activity. He correctly reminded his audience that churches can’t endorse candidates, for example, and he distributed a handout reprinting some information made available by the Internal Revenue Service.</p>
<p>But Cuccinelli also blithely told the pastors that their churches can distribute voter guides – without warning them that most guides are produced by partisan operations intended to steer congregants toward certain candidates. Handing out biased guides is a clear violation of federal tax law.</p>
<p>Regardless of the specifics of his remarks, however, I had to wonder what Cuccinelli was doing there in the first place. Turns out he wanted to help the VCA, a hardball Religious Right outfit, prod churches to get more involved in political issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.</p>
<p>"You have a lot of freedom of action, and I would encourage you to use it," Cuccinelli said.</p>
<p>Since when is it the attorney general’s job to urge churches to dive into politics?</p>
<p>Not all churches want to be political. Pastors are aware that plenty of people go to religious services to hear talk about God, not electioneering. Congregants want to listen to a sermon, not a political rant.</p>
<p>Polls show that many <a href="http://pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/More-Americans-Question-Religions-Role-in-Politics.aspx">people are tired</a> of all of the political talk emanating from some pulpits. Americans are sharply divided over politics. The rise of the internet and social media have only given more outlets for a cacophony that now seems to run 24/7.</p>
<p>Many parishioners think a house of worship ought to be one place to get a respite from that, a place where Americans of different political persuasions can put aside the rancor and join together in a common purpose. For religious people, that purpose transcends the din of everyday political argument.</p>
<p>Yet Cuccinelli and his VCA allies would politicize our churches, turning them into just another front for the Religious Right’s misguided “culture war.” His clear message to pastors is that if you’re not talking about political issues in church, something is wrong and you’re not doing your job. (And, of course, the politics he wants them to espouse is his own. I doubt Cuccinelli would have appeared before an assembly of Unitarians, progressive Jews or liberal Protestants and delivered this speech.)</p>
<p>It’s arrogant. It’s misguided. It’s not what Americans want.</p>
<p>Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn told a Richmond TV station, “It is disturbing that the attorney general, even in the process of giving relatively good legal advice, manages to try to convince ministers they ought to be more religious or they ought to be fighting a different enemy. It’s really not appropriate for an elected official to start coaching people in the clergy about what they should or shouldn’t do in the middle of a church service.”</p>
<p>Here at Americans United, it gets our hackles up when religious groups demand that government enforce their particular theological notions.</p>
<p>But the concept cuts both ways. Government telling religion what to do isn’t so great either. Cuccinelli ought to stick to overseeing the laws of Virginia and let pastors decide for themselves how best to manage their pulpits.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-cuccinelli-attorney-general-pastors-politics-church-state,0,4874127.story"><br /></a></p>
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<p> </p>
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</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ken-cuccinelli">Ken Cuccinelli</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/virginia">virginia</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/virginia-christian-alliance">Virginia Christian Alliance</a></span></div></div>Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:52:19 +0000Rob Boston2202 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/polluting-the-pulpit-virginia-attorney-general-urges-right-wing-churches-to#commentsForgive Us Our Debts?: Political Church In Iowa Faces Bankruptcy https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/forgive-us-our-debts-political-church-in-iowa-faces-bankruptcy
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">It seems an Iowa pastor got so caught up in politics that he couldn’t be bothered to pay his bills. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Politicizing churches is a bad idea for lots of reasons. Not only it is illegal for non-profit organizations to endorse or oppose candidates, it also can divide congregations and lead to other types of problems.</p>
<p>Exhibit A is Cornerstone World Outreach, a church in Sioux City, Iowa. Last year, Cornerstone Pastor Cary K. Gordon decided to use his house of worship to launch an effort to recall three Iowa Supreme Court justices. Gordon was angry that the three, who faced retention elections, had voted to legalize same-sex marriage in the state.</p>
<p>The campaign, dubbed “Project Jeremiah,” was successful, and all three judges lost their seats. But there has been a bit of a blowback since then, and Gordon’s congregation may soon find themselves without a building.</p>
<p>It seems Gordon got so caught up in politics that he couldn’t be bothered to <a href="http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/a1/article_5a215cfe-86b1-5b43-96b7-9edaca9b476e.html">pay his bills</a>. In fact, the congregation owes a contractor more than $3 million for work done on the facility. A mechanic’s lien has been placed on the church, and if the sum isn’t paid, Cornerstone goes up on the auction block May 3.</p>
<p>You might recall that when Americans United learned about what Gordon was doing, we asked the Internal Revenue Service <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2010/11/bully-pulpit.html">to investigate</a>. Houses of worship and other 501(c)(3) non-profits are not permitted to endorse or oppose candidates. Telling people to vote against judges was a clear violation of federal law.</p>
<p>Making matters worse, Gordon and other church officials knew what they were doing was legally problematic. In a letter describing Project Jeremiah that was sent to clergy across the state, Gordon said a group called Liberty Institute would defend any church sanctioned by the IRS.</p>
<p>We don’t know if the IRS is taking any action against the church because agency investigations are confidential, but it appears that concerns about a potential IRS penalty might have led to some of the church’s troubles.</p>
<p>The <em>Sioux City Journal</em> reported that church officials had hoped to secure a loan to pay the contractor’s bill but were warned that Project Jeremiah made it difficult for the church to get credit.</p>
<p>Doug Daniels, an associate pastor at the church, at one point drafted an affidavit about the matter. As the <em>Journal </em>reported, “Daniels’ draft affidavit also includes text of an e-mail urging church officials to issue a retraction and warned that an unnamed state agency had asked the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to investigate the church as a result of Project Jeremiah.”</p>
<p>I think there’s some confusion here. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ensures that Americans won’t lose money deposited in banks that fail. It’s not likely that the FDIC would intervene in this matter. The e-mail cited was written by a loan broker.</p>
<p>Most likely, he got confused and said FDIC when he meant to say IRS. But the bottom line remains the same: The brazen political intervention apparently caused a loan broker to conclude that the church is a poor candidate for a loan, and this has compounded Cornerstone’s problems.</p>
<p>The loan officer is right to be worried. The IRS has the power to revoke a church’s tax-exempt status and assess fines and back taxes. In a case from 1993, the Rev. Jerry Falwell had to pay the IRS $50,000 in back taxes after the IRS determined that his tax-exempt “Old Time Gospel Hour” broadcast ministry had illegally intervened in several congressional elections. The ministry’s tax exemption for the years 1986 and 1987 was retroactively revoked.</p>
<p>Church officials continue to try to work out a deal with the contractor, but they haven’t ruled out declaring bankruptcy as a last resort.</p>
<p>It’s quite a mess, and I can’t help but think that the church might have avoided it all if its leaders hadn’t been so determined to forge a partisan political machine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cornerstone-world-church">Cornerstone World Church</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/election-2010">Election 2010</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/iowa">Iowa</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/iowa-supreme-court">Iowa Supreme Court</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/pastor-cary-gordon">Pastor Cary Gordon</a></span></div></div>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:40:09 +0000Rob Boston2175 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/forgive-us-our-debts-political-church-in-iowa-faces-bankruptcy#commentsPulpit Politicking Panned: Once Again, Americans Say No To Church Electioneeringhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/pulpit-politicking-panned-once-again-americans-say-no-to-church
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">While most Americans respect their religious leaders, they see them as spiritual, not political, guides.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>In the run-up to last month’s elections, Americans United had to work overtime to combat church-based electioneering.</p>
<p>The Alliance Defense Fund and its allies in the Religious Right were working to persuade pastors to endorse or oppose candidates from the pulpit during Sunday services. AU repeatedly reminded pastors and congregants that such actions are a violation of federal law. Under the Internal Revenue Code, all 501(c)(3) non-profit groups are barred from intervening in campaigns by endorsing or opposing candidates.</p>
<p>That’s what the law says. But there’s another reason religious leaders should avoid such partisan intervention: The people sitting in the pews don’t support it.</p>
<p>I’ve been monitoring polls on this question for several years now. Every one shows solid opposition to pulpit politicking. Opposition in the high 60s or 70 percent is common.</p>
<p>But even I was surprised by a recent poll by Rasmussen. The New Jersey-based polling firm <a href="http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/december_2010/most_oppose_voting_suggestions_from_religious_leaders">reported</a> that “only 12% feel it’s appropriate for their local religious leader, such as a parish priest, minister, rabbi or imam, to suggest who they should vote for. Seventy-nine percent (79%) do not find such suggestions appropriate.”</p>
<p>The poll of 1,000 likely voters was conducted on December 17-18, and it contains some other interesting data about the intersection of faith and politics. For instance, the poll found that 48 percent of voters consider a candidate’s religious views as at least somewhat important in determining how they vote, while 53 percent don’t see them as important.</p>
<p>Interestingly, many political analysts consider Rasmussen to be a conservative-leaning pollster (although Rasmussen swears it is non-partisan). In any case, the question about pulpit politicking was pretty straight-forward. It read, “Is it appropriate for your local religious leader, like your Parish Priest, minister, Rabbi or Imam, to ‘suggest’ who you should vote for?”</p>
<p>If anything, the wording is a little soft. “Suggest who you should vote for” isn’t nearly as strong as “endorse a candidate” or “pressure you to vote for a certain candidate.” Yet people still chafed.</p>
<p>Why is this so? I think it’s because while most Americans respect their religious leaders, they see them as spiritual, not political, guides. In other words, a religious leader’s job is to tell you how to live a good life, how to follow the dictates of your faith and perhaps how to get into Heaven – not which candidate deserves to go to the governor’s mansion.</p>
<p>Also, there’s a certain arrogance in pulpit-based politicking. Pastors are essentially telling their congregations, “I will decide what issues should be important to you.” Most voters believe they are capable of making that decision for themselves.</p>
<p>As I said, pulpit-based politicking is illegal, and that alone is reason enough to stop it. The fact that Americans don’t want it is a nice side of gravy.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/alliance-defense-fund-adf">Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rasmussen">rasmussen</a></span></div></div>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:00:46 +0000Rob Boston2147 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/pulpit-politicking-panned-once-again-americans-say-no-to-church#comments